Tape dispensing apparatus having a replaceable gummed tape holder



Sept. 9, 1958 TAPE DISPEN-SiNdAPPARATUS HAVING A REPLACEABLE GUMMED TAPEHOLDER H B ROWE 2,851,094

Filed June 21, 195s 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inveniofl: Howafld B. Rowe 639 M 5%7M 4 M2 gm Sept. 9, 1958 H. B. ROWE TAPE DISPENSING APPARATUS HAVING AREPLACEABLE GUNMED TAPE HOLDER Filed June 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Dwenior fiowafld .B. Rowe, '39

Unite TAPE DISPENSING APPARATUS HAVING A REPLACEABLE GUIVIMED TAPEHOLDER Howard B. Rowe, Nashua, N. H., assignor, by mesue assignments, toNashua Qorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application June 21, 1955,Serial No. 516,925

1 Claim. (Cl. 118-40) This invention concerns devices and apparatus fordispensing lengths of adhesively conditioned tape and strip material,particularly those of the type wherein drygummed tape is advanced andrendered adhesive by the application of moisture. It has as a mainobject to safeguard the supply of the dry-gummed strip material againstpremature adhesion under conditions of excessive humidity.

In the drawings illustrating by way of example one embodiment of theinvention:

Fig. 1 shows a typical strip server or tape dispenser incorporating atape roll supply in a feed-out sealing holder; i

v Fig. 2 is a front, elevation of such tape-feeding rollholdingcontainer with portions of the latter broken away; and

Fig. 3 illustrates the roll-feeding container preparatory to loadingwith a roll of tape.

The invention is applicable to the various types of machines andapparatus for dispensing and adhesively conditioning dry-gummed tape,including the manual, the semi-automatic and the full-automaticapparatus of the class described. For the purposes of the presentdisclosure 1 have shown the means of the invention as incorporated in asemi-automatic tape dispenser such for example as that of Gautier et al.Patent 2,434,996, of January 27, 1948.

The exemplary machine of the drawing comprises a frame includingopposite side members 4 and 5 spaced by transverse connections includinga rear Wall 6 and cross members 7. A rear portion of the frame defines atape roll well or holder compartment 10 from which the tape T is adaptedto be fed forwardly between opposed feed rolls 11, 12, at least one ofwhich is adapted to be rotatably driven as by a hand lever 13, in thisinstance the larger and lower roll 12. The other roll 11 is rotatablymounted on a carrier and tape guide 14 pivoted on the frame as at 15 andis urged into tape-feeding relation with the driven roll 12 as by aspring 16.

The tape T from the roll TR thereof leads off either from the bottom orthe top of the roll depending on whether it is wound with gummed sideout as in the Fig. 1 example, or is wound with gumrned side in. Ineither case the leading end of the tape is fed along upon an underguide17 extending from the well 10 and beneath a top guide 18, and thencepast the cut-off station including a knife or cutter means 19 andbeneath a depresser 20, with the gummed face of the tape passing inmoistening contact with a capillary, brush or other moistener means 21supplied from a moisture reservoir 22. The leading portion of themoistened tape is thus advanced to the delivery station 23 and thelength so fed is severed behind the moistener at the cut-ofi station 19.

Customarily heretofore the bare roll of tape has been disposed at thesupply station such as the well 10, occasionally journalled on a pinpassed centrally through the roll but ordinarily set freely on thearcuate floor of the well or on cross supports which may be rollers,presenting the roll supply in the well in position to be drawn upon. Insome dispensers the roll may be upwardly and otherwise exposed while inother cases the machine includes a cover. element such as the elongatetroughed member 25 of Fig. l pivoted on the frame as at 26 and havingstops such as 27 for seating on a fixed part of the frame in the closedposition of the cover, leaving a delivery opening for the tape T at thefront of the machine. Whether with or without a cover such as 25, andwhich latter may be dispensed with in the illustrated example, the tapesupply roll'ordinarily is exposed and freely accessible to the ambienttemperature. V v

Under the present invention the tape roll supply TR cally sealedcondition within a holding container designated generally at 30, suchcontainer being specially constructed, shaped and dimensioned forcooperative reception in and as a part of the dispensing apparatus as awhole.

As seen in Fig. 1 and separately in Figs. 2 and 3, such holdingcontainer 30 is of generally cylindrical form. It includes front, rearand bottom wall portions 31, 32,

33 of conjoint 'arcuate form, together with laterally" closing sidewalls 34, 35. One side wall desirably is integrally formed with thetransverse wall portions 3133.

The opposite side wall, herein the generally circular plate like member35, Fig. 3, is separably constructed and adapted for installation as ata flanged seat 36, atthe corresponding side of the container. Y

The latter further comprises a top wall portion 37 integrally joinedwith the mentioned wall portions so as to provide a completely enclosedcontainer when the separable side wall 35 is in place as in Figs. 1 and2. Such top wall 37 may be circumferentially formed upon the same radiuswith the transverse and side walls 31-35 or may have an upper or othernon-round portion as for example at 37a of Fig. 1, adapted forengagement by the cover 25 to retain the container 30 against bodilyrotation while permitting the roll supply TR to turn freely within it.In other instances the container 30 may itself be rotatably positionedwithin the machine well such as 10, as for example in the illustratedinstance with the cover 25 open or omitted.

In accordance with the invention each roll of tape TR as supplied by themanufacturer may initially be enclosed in its own holding container 30.In such case the initially separate side Wall 35 which provides aloading entrance for the tape roll may, after insertion of the roll, beset in place on and closing the container 30 and may be sealed upon theseating recess 36 adhesively or by heat sealing of the self-materialwhere the container as a whole is constructed of a heat-sealabletransparent plastic material as is preferred.

The described holding container element 30 thus provides an hermeticallysealable enclosure for the tape roll TR save for a single limitedtransverse exit slot or slit 38 formed in and extending transverselyacross one wall portion of the container, that at the lower front 31 inthe present views. Such tape exit is proportioned to be substantiallyclosed by the leading portion T of the tape which is passed outwardlythrough such slit 38 when the roll is loaded into the container. Theopposed transverse edges 39 of the exit 38 desirably are inclined moreor less to the radius of the container and in line with the natural exitpath of the tape T. While it is found that such narrow exit slot 38 of awidth merely sufiicient to afford free passage and outfeed for the tapeis adequate to exclude moisture of the ambient atmosphere at the pointof use, if desired the container wall adjacent the slot may be providedat its inner face with an absorbent dam or closure flap 40 adapted tobear lightly upon the outgoing tape and further seal the outlet 38against entry of moisture.

In other use circumstances, and particularly where the machine is to bein more or less constant use so requiring One or more rollreplenishments per ordinary working day, the tape rolls TR may besupplied either singly wrapped or in multiple packages from whichtheyare individually loaded into a moisture-excluding container 30supplied with and as a part of the tape-dispensing machine. In eithercase; whether a holding container 30 equipped with a tape roll TR sealedtherein is supplied to the user as a package unit or whether the taperolls are otherwise packaged for loading at the place of use into acontainer 30, a number of which may be originally furnished with eachtape machine, itwill be evident from Fig. 1 that in the operation of themachine the container 30 constitutes an operative element of the tape,mounting and feeding means of the machine, in cooperation with thedescribed typical feed roll means, moistening means and cutting means ofthe apparatus. This operation is such that the roll supply iseffectively excluded fromobjectionable moist ambient atmosphere such asheretofore has caused the coils of tape to become stucktogether in theroll so that the feed is hampered or blocked; a condition heretofore ofnot infrequent occurrence incertain geographical regions and in uselocations where the surrounding atmospheric humidity is high. j

My invention is not limited to the particular emhodi.- ments thereofillustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in myfollowing claim.

I claim:

Apparatus for storing a roll supply of dry-gummed tape and dispensingadhesively-conditioned lengths therefrom, comprising a housing frameincluding a roll-holder compartment with an openable cover elementhaving a planar portion adapted to overlie the compartment, asubstantially cylindrical drum-like transparent plastic taperoll-holdingcontainer freely receivable in the holder compartment and having aplanar portion for rotation-preventing engagement with the planarportion of the compartment cover element, said container adapted tostore a tape roll in substantially hermetically sealed condition yet inrotatable position to be drawn upon and having a restricted transverseexit passage for the tape, rotary feed means for advancing lengths oftape from the roll via the container exit passage to a moistening anddelivery station, severing means for the moistened delivered tapelengths, and actuating means for the feed and severing means wherebyadhesively conditioned tape lengths may be supplied from the sealingcontainer within the roll holder compartment of the housing frame of theapparatus subject to ready visual check of the supply remaining therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.134,545 Fischer Dec. 8, 1942 1,106,660 Marshall et al. Aug. 11, 19141,244,837 Crowell Oct. 30, 1917 1,787,882 Uttz Ian. 6, 1931 2,434,996Gautier et a1. Jan. 27; 1948 2,525,755 Aldrich Oct. 17, 1950 2,709,049Weis May 24, 1955

